บท 35: 35: Ascension
Nothing can help you release stress better than a good and intense session of "fun" with a beautiful lady. John did not exactly boast of being virtuous and chaste, so being without a woman's touch for so long had been a challenge in itself, considering the kind of man he was. Even so, with the ongoing war, he knew he couldn't let himself be too distracted. Thus, he had made a great effort to suppress any carnal desires and focus on his war duties as expected.
An effort that quickly vanished in the face of Peggy's insistence. It seemed he wasn't the only one yearning for a reunion, and like the good man he was, John made sure to meet the woman's expectations for several hours until she finally passed out with a smile on her face.
Unfortunate, since he still had plenty of energy left to use, but expected nonetheless. After all, she was still just human. That she could last as long as she did was already a great display of her above-average physical capacity, but in the end, her stamina reached its limit and John had to let her rest, which was a little frustrating and, in a sense, disappointing, but he decided not to dwell on it for now.
And so, with nothing else to do and no need for sleep, he left the woman's room and began wandering around the base in good spirits. It was nighttime, so activity was minimal, but from time to time, John crossed paths with some staff members, whom he greeted courteously.
Most of them he hadn't met beforehand, so he made sure to memorize their faces. After all, if everything went well, he would be working with them for quite a while—of course, as long as they weren't spies. John knew that sooner or later, if it hadn't already happened, S.W.O.R.D. would have some infiltrators. Charles might be a good safeguard for detecting in time those who would try to climb too high, but those who kept lower profiles would still be a problem that would grow as S.W.O.R.D. acquired more personnel.
'There will probably need to be some cleanups in the staff from time to time.' That way his good mood was slightly dampened. Fortunately, a rather attractive distraction decided to appear at that moment to steer his mind away from such thoughts.
"Jo—Colonel." John, whose walk around the base had brought him to the mess hall, turned around to see Janet entering, who still seemed a bit sleepy if her slightly disheveled hair was any indication.
"Miss Van Dyne, it seems I'm not the only one up early around here. May I offer you a cup?" John then pointed toward the pot of the coffee maker he had just prepared a few moments ago, the coffee in it still releasing slight wisps of steam.
For her part, Janet couldn't believe her good luck. Ever since she found out that John would be returning to the base, she had been thinking about how to talk to him in private, and by coincidence, she had run into him in the mess hall of the base just when it was practically empty except for the two of them.
It seemed that the good habit of waking up before everyone else had finally paid off. She probably wouldn't find a better opportunity than this, so, summoning her courage, she stepped forward.
"Uh, sure." She could only hope her communication skills were up to the task.
Seeing her awkwardness, John raised an eyebrow. He didn't need to be a genius to notice that the girl had something to say—he could see it in her eyes. His curiosity was piqued, but he decided not to rush her and instead allowed her to take her time.
Janet watched silently as John prepared both cups of coffee, trying to find the best way to start the conversation she'd been wanting to have—but without much success. It seemed her brain had decided to take an unannounced vacation.
"You know, I didn't get a chance to thank you earlier."
"Huh?" Janet blinked, somewhat confused, her rising mental crisis abruptly interrupted by John's sudden comment.
"If it weren't for your help, Dr. Pym's research could've taken much longer. And although I know gaining your powers was accidental, I'm glad you decided to use them for our benefit. Inviting you to S.W.O.R.D. has honestly been one of the best decisions I've made."
John was being unusually sincere this time, without needing to fake anything as he had so often since this second life began. Janet would probably never know, but her contributions to accelerating the production of more Vibranium had lifted a massive weight off his shoulders, alleviating many of his worries, and allowing him to feel more confident about his next step.
For that, he was truly grateful.
Hearing this, Janet's cheeks quickly turned a deep red. She was a bit embarrassed, but at the same time, the hesitation inside her shrank considerably. Without him knowing, his words were the final encouragement Janet needed to push forward and express the desire that had been growing within her for a long time.
"Well… speaking of helping, I-I think maybe I can do much more." John paused before turning to look at her, and Janet almost averted her gaze but managed to stay firm, swallowing nervously before continuing "What I'm trying to say is that I can be more useful, offer something different—be more than just a glorified battery recharger for Dr. Pym... Uh, not that there's anything wrong with that! I'm glad to contribute and make the research easier, but… maybe my potential is greater than that. Maybe I can do something to really help!"
When the thoughts that had been tormenting her mind finally came to light and were spoken aloud, Janet almost felt like a deflated balloon. Her heart pounded strongly in her chest as a wave of mortification washed over her.
Even though she had imagined this scenario many times over the past few days, she hadn't expected her attempt to go so disastrously. In her mind, everything had been much smoother—her words more eloquent and convincing, her attitude more resolute and courageous. She wanted to show she was serious, to persuade John that this was a good idea… but when translated into reality, she came across as far too clumsy, even to herself.
It was truly frustrating, and now more than ever, she envied the ability of others to express themselves freely and easily in front of people.
With an audible sigh, Janet rubbed her left arm, embarrassed, before finally finishing her words in almost a whisper.
"…I want to join the front lines."
John remained silent for a moment, watching the dark-haired girl nervously close her eyes nervously as if she feared his response.
Well, what was he supposed to do with this? To a certain extent, he had expected Janet to want to do more than just stay in the lab, but he hadn't anticipated her taking the initiative so soon. This could bring certain benefits, but it also carried risks.
He could simply say no, but the fire he had just seen in the girl's eyes as she spoke about her desires wasn't one that could be contained for long—especially considering her powers. If he said no, he risked her acting on her own and putting herself in unnecessary danger.
That wasn't a scenario he was interested in, so the choice he needed to make was, in a sense, obvious.
'Come on, it's not like this is the first time you've taken someone with no experience and brought them onto a battlefield, right?' He wanted to tell himself this was different, but in reality, it wasn't.
"Alright."
"Eh?" Janet opened her eyes and looked at John, confused.
"I don't know yet when we'll leave the base," he continued, "but I suggest you start preparing your things. From now on, you'll be under my command and part of the team. You'll need training, but that's something we'll handle later." John could personally teach her the basics during the days they spent on the base. The rest, Janet would have to learn the hard way—out in the field. Perhaps that would make her regret her choice, though John doubted it.
"R-Really?!" Janet couldn't believe it. She had expected some kind of refusal, some opposition, but for John to accept so easily seemed too good to be true. For a moment, she wondered if she was still dreaming.
John gave her a warm smile and placed a hand on her shoulder before speaking, snapping her out of her astonishment. And though his words were less sincere than before, he made sure not to let that show at all. His act was truly improving by the day.
"I can see this is something you've been thinking about for a long time. Many others in your position would have taken different paths—safer paths, far from the fires of war. But instead, you've chosen to step forward and use these incredible abilities you've gained selflessly, for the sake of helping others, to save them. That takes a special kind of courage, Janet."
If there were a happiness meter, the score Janet would be registering right now would have made the device explode. The smile that began to bloom on her face was too radiant to look at, her cheeks turned bright red, and her heart pounded at a thousand beats per minute. She felt like she was on cloud nine and almost started jumping with excitement.
"Thank you, thank you! I won't let you down, I promise!"
John had to be careful not to spill the cups of coffee in his hands when Janet suddenly ran toward him and gave him a strong hug. Of course, he didn't complain—being hugged by a beautiful girl was always welcome in his book.
Still, the moment soon ended, and she pulled away from him, leaving behind a soft scent that reminded him of lavender honey.
"I need to get my things ready!"
Before he could say anything else, he watched her rush off, a bounce of excitement in every step.
"Uh… and now what am I supposed to do with you?" John wondered looking at the second cup of coffee now without an owner.
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"Whew, I really needed one of these, thanks," Howard said, taking a long sip of the dark drink John had brought him.
"Nothing better to start the day than a good dose of caffeine," John laughed, taking his own drink, though in his case, it was more for the taste since coffee had no effect on his system.
After his talk with Janet, John didn't spend any more time wandering aimlessly around the base and decided to meet with Howard, pulling the man out of his sleep and dragging him along without offering much explanation.
"Alright, we're here. Though I didn't want to ask too many questions earlier, this time you really have to tell me why you made me bring this thing to this place—which, by the way, wasn't easy or cheap."
After saying this, Howard approached a control panel, typing in a series of codes in quick succession. Then, the massive metal door that had been firmly shut began to open slowly, allowing them both to step inside.
The room was mostly empty, as only Howard and Peggy were authorized to enter it apart from John. At its center, covered with a simple white cloth, stood the capsule from Project Rebirth. After Howard had retrieved it from the government, John had ensured it was brought with them to Italy to make things simpler and faster.
Approaching the capsule, John removed the cloth with a smooth motion and reached out, running his hand over the machine with a touch of nostalgia. It felt as if it had been just yesterday when he walked toward this same capsule, filled with nerves and hope.
Its name was truly fitting because, within it, John had been reborn. And now, it was time for his life to change once again with its help.
"Tell me, Howard, have you ever felt scared?"
Faced with the unexpected question, Howard couldn't help but blink in confusion and frown.
"Well, I've certainly felt fear plenty of times, but that's pretty normal for most people, isn't it?" In this world, what kind of human hadn't felt fear at least once in their life? At least in Howard's opinion, there shouldn't be any.
John nodded before shaking his head. "No… I mean a deeper fear, something more visceral than the occasional fright—something that burrows into your thoughts and steals your sleep at night."
This time, Howard had to think more deeply. And, against his will, old memories began to surface, making his body tremble slightly. That kind of fear… he had felt it a few times, and every one of those occasions was something he preferred not to recall at all.
"Seems like you've really felt it, huh? Sorry if I made you remember unpleasant things, but it's something I needed to know. At least now I know you can understand how I feel and why I'm going to do what I'm about to do."
"What do you mean?" Howard truly wasn't following where this conversation was headed. Still, he could see that John was serious, which unsettled him for some reason.
"Explaining it all is a bit complicated, but in short, I've realized that if I want to ensure we win this war, I need to become something much greater—more than just Captain America, much more than a supersoldier."
Howard's confusion grew, along with his doubt.
"Are you serious? With the vibranium we have now, we shouldn't—"
"Vibranium was just insurance, Howard. You know I never intended for it to be used on a large scale. No, my real plan was always something else."
Here, John paused. He couldn't tell Howard that his next step was based on assumptions and theories he'd pieced together from another life, let alone mention Compound V and why he believed his plan would succeed.
So, he had to come up with a story. Fortunately, he was already prepared for this.
"Tell me, how much did Dr. Erskine tell you about the serum?"
Once again, Howard was confused by the apparent abrupt shift in the conversation. Still, he decided to answer, hoping it might help him understand what was going on.
"The truth is, not much. The man was really careful with the formula and never allowed anyone other than himself to know its exact composition, which made it really complicated to work with him."
Although Howard had helped with many of the steps in the Rebirth Project, the truth was that he, like all the other scientists involved in the project—except for Erskine—lacked crucial knowledge.
This, of course, was done deliberately by Erskine to prevent the serum's formula from leaking easily to the enemy, which unfortunately also caused it to be lost when the man died and made its recreation almost impossible despite the large funding the government was putting into it.
"Did you know the process was actually incomplete?"
This time, Howard couldn't stop his eyes from widening in astonishment. His mind struggled to process the words John had just said. For a moment, he almost laughed, thinking the man was joking with him, but that laugh died in his throat when he saw the extremely serious look John was giving him.
"Incomplete? How?! That's not—"
"I see, so he didn't tell you. Seems like he was really a distrustful man by nature. To make it clear, he told me about it during one of the private meetings we had before I underwent the procedure. At first, I didn't know why he told me, what sense did it make? But now I think I understand, it was a safeguard, a key to true superior power."
If Erskine had been present, he would have been just as shocked and confused as Howard. What nonsense was John spouting?!
"The truth is… apart from the Vita radiation, there was another energy that needed to be used during the process—an energy you're very familiar with."
"Another energy? Wait!" Howard's body jolted as if struck by a sudden compression, making his mind dart back and forth between theory after theory, each one more outlandish than the last.
"I see you've understood—the missing part of the process, and the key I need to ensure I win this war is the energy of the Tesseract!" John exclaimed, then extended his hand toward Howard, who was still stunned by such a revelation.
"Originally, I had no intention of bringing this to light, Howard, but with each passing day, doubts begin to grow, along with fears and worries. My responsibilities are immense, and if I want to ensure I can fulfill my role, I need to take this step no matter what. But... I can't do it alone. A process like this carries great risks. Working with such exotic energies requires a certain level of finesse, something a soldier lacks... which is why I hope you can help me."
Howard felt his mouth go dry. He looked at John's hand extended toward him with some uncertainty. All of this... it was something complicated to process. There was still so much he didn't understand yet, but... in the end, they were both on the same side, right? He was the head of SWORD's scientific division; there was no one better than him to work on this. Besides, John sharing this secret with him was a clear sign of his trust. Could he really leave him alone in this and say no?
But more than anything, Howard was curious. He wanted to know, to see with his own eyes what Erskine had hidden, to unravel the mystery of what John called a "true superior power." And so, putting aside any doubts or caution, Howard took a step forward and clasped John's hand, bringing a smile to the super-soldier's face.
"I knew I could count on you."
"Well, I can't let you do this alone and blow up the entire base by accident, can I?...." Howard could only hope he wouldn't regret this later.
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With Howard on board, things began to progress quickly. Originally, John had planned to do everything himself, but as time went on, that idea started to change. As he had told Howard earlier, this process was extremely risky, and if he wanted to minimize the chances of something going wrong, he needed a true scientific mind at the helm.
A decision that had already proven correct when he and Howard began modifying the Project Rebirth capsule to be powered by the Tesseract's energy.
John had thought of simply connecting many of the confiscated Hydra weapon batteries and channeling their energy into his body at the same time as the Vita radiation, hoping that it would work.
Howard thought better of it and decided that his idea was stupid—dangerously stupid. He then took charge as the true scientist he was.
The first thing he did was design a dual power system to allow both energies to be utilized simultaneously. The Vita radiation didn't require much effort, but the Tesseract's energy was far more complicated. Its volatility caused several near-explosions during the process, but they finally managed to extract a large amount of it from the confiscated batteries and store it in a much more suitable container.
The second task was creating a link between the sources. John had told Howard he needed the two energies to combine—in short, to use the stabilizing capacity of Vita radiation to negate the volatility of the Tesseract's energy.
Howard felt the idea made sense and chastised himself for not thinking of it sooner. After all, in the current era, there was no better stabilizing energy than Vita radiation.
Thus, after a full day of work, Howard implemented an extremely precise synchronization system. This system would combine both energies proportionally using the link between their sources to prevent interference or overloads that could endanger John's life—at least more than it already would.
In addition, the capsule itself had to be upgraded. Vita radiation or not, the Tesseract's energy was still too powerful for the simple metal it was made of to withstand the levels John wanted to expose his body to.
Fortunately, they now had a metal that would be ideal for the job. With vibranium in their hands, they could reinforce the interior of the capsule to prevent the energy from leaking, while also using its absorption and energy-redirection properties to their advantage.
Of course, these things couldn't be done overnight. The process to complete all the modifications would take time—more than John had originally planned. Fortunately, he had thought that something like this might happen, which is why he left his personal radio in Warsaw, allowing him to stay in contact with the team and easily keep up with the situation on their side.
For now, it seemed there had been no attempts at an attack from Germany, though some scouts from the AK reported increased activity from the Red Army near the country's borders—something that didn't bode well. So far, John had chosen to ignore the Soviet Union, knowing that their downfall in the future was inevitable. But if they decided to regain their influence in Europe through Poland, then there would be trouble.
In addition to staying up to date with the situation in Poland, when he wasn't helping Howard where he could, John also spent some time overseeing the creation of equipment using the newly created vibranium. After all, that was also one of the reasons he had come to the SWORD base.
The handling of the metal was still somewhat crude and basic due to the lack of deeper studies on its true potential. Still, this didn't prevent work from being done with it, using the knowledge already available about the metallurgy of other metals. Soon, a team of highly specialized and carefully selected personnel was formed to handle its preliminary study until Howard was available again. Of course, they weren't told where it had actually come from—only that there was more readily available now, and they needed to begin building equipment with it.
Projectiles, knives, and plates for bulletproof vests, as well as protective equipment for other parts of the body like helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads, were among the priorities. John made sure nothing was overlooked. They might not yet be able to create full-body armor, but at the very least, the body's most vital points had to be as well-protected as possible.
Raven helped a lot in customizing each piece of equipment to the exact measurements of the other team members, and as a reward, she herself received several items that greatly increased her attack and defense capabilities through the roof.
She seemed especially excited about the vibranium bullets.
Even though John didn't need them, he decided to get some as well.
Aside from that, John didn't forget about Janet. Since he didn't need to sleep, he used those hours to begin training her—focusing mainly on how she could use her powers to help the team in various situations.
Although he was tough in her training, the woman didn't back down or seem inclined to change her mind, which earned her a bit of his respect.
On his side, Hank wasn't exactly happy when he found out that Janet would be leaving for the front lines with John. He tried to object, but in the end, it was Janet's decision, and with John's support, there was really nothing Hank could do to prevent her from leaving. So, he had no choice but to begrudgingly accept it, lamenting that he would now have to obtain Pym particles the traditional way.
Thus, the days passed quickly until, finally, after nearly three weeks of intense work, everything was ready.
"Are you ready?" Faced with Howard's question, John, who was staring at the modified capsule of the now-renamed Project Ascension, could only nod without showing a hint of hesitation or fear.
There were no more doubts; the time to regret and turn back had long since passed.
Now, the only option was to move forward, to complete the final step and become something greater... or die trying.
"I've never been more ready for anything in my life." Taking a deep breath, John began to undress with the help of a silent Raven.
Apart from Howard, she was the only other person he had spoken to about Project Ascension. The girl hadn't been very happy upon learning of his possible fatal fate, and it had been quite difficult to convince her that this wasn't an entirely terrible idea. But in the end, as with all the other times, she remained by his side even knowing the risks.
Soon, John was down to his underwear and, with some familiarity, climbed into the capsule, lying inside and allowing Raven to place the vibranium restraints around his body to secure him and prevent any sudden movements that could disrupt the process.
"If things go wrong, you know what you have to do." His whisper made Raven pause in her actions, her eyes meeting his for what felt like years before she nodded solemnly. As his true right hand, John had entrusted many things to the girl, the most important being his contingency plan against Hydra if this experiment were to fail.
She might have been young, but John believed she was more than capable of carrying out his will and doing whatever was necessary to ensure this world remained intact, even without him. Of course, she wouldn't be alone in such a mission; the team and S.W.O.R.D. would provide enough support for her to push through despite future adversities, at least john believed in that..
Soon, Raven finished securing him and stepped back to a safe distance, watching the next part with a mix of anticipation and fear.
She trusted John, but if he truly died, she didn't know if she could live up to his expectations. For that reason, she fervently hoped this would succeed.
Howard performed one final thorough check of all the equipment before deciding that everything was in order and beginning to activate the machinery, a low hum starting to fill the room.
"Alright, starting in one, two..." Howard hesitated for a moment and looked at John, as if expecting something—perhaps for him to decide to back out at the last second. But he didn't, and with no other choice, Howard could only grit his teeth and pull the activation lever down completely.
"Three!"
The capsule sealed shut hermetically, enclosing John inside. Then, a blue light and a yellow light began to intensify as the dual power system activated at full capacity.
The Vita radiation and Tesseract energy soon collided, and synchronization began. At first, it was turbulent, but as John had anticipated, the Vita radiation was perfectly capable of stabilizing the Tesseract energy and soon, both energies began to merge into something entirely new and different, blue and yellow combining in perfect harmony to create a new type of light—a deep green hue that illuminated the entire space with its exotic color.
Then the assimilation process began. Inside the capsule, John felt the new energy pouring over his body like a furious tide, crashing against every cell like a flare of extreme heat, a searing pain starting to assault every corner of his mind.
"Arghhhh!!!" John clenched his teeth, refusing to scream, forcing his body to endure as best as it could. He could feel it deep within his being—the energy penetrating his body, pulsing through his atomic structure and beyond.
It was as if his soul was being touched, and for a moment, his vision went completely dark.
His consciousness began to drift into nothingness for what felt like an eternity, and he idly wondered if he had died once again. But as quickly as that thought crossed his mind, his senses started to return, crashing into his awareness with full force, making his head buzz and his heart pound with far more vigor than before.
"Whoa!" With a cry of both pain and euphoria, John returned to reality and clenched his fists, his entire world now seeming to be bathed in a deep, ethereal green.
Outside the capsule, Raven and Howard had to retreat almost to the point of hitting the wall due to the intensity of the light and the nearly imperceptible energy pulses it was emitting. Even with protective goggles, it was impossible for them to see what was happening, and if things continued this way, an earthquake could soon shake the base with it as the epicenter.
"The energy is out of control!" Howard's shout nearly made Raven roll her eyes; she didn't need the announcement—it was blatantly obvious to her what was happening.
Raven wondered if it was too late to rush in and try to shut down the machine, but before she could decide whether to attempt it or not, there was an even more blinding flash, followed by a pulse of repulsive energy that sent her flying until she crashed into the wall, forcing all the air from her lungs.
Then, as quickly as it came, everything returned to calm, and the light began to recede slowly until it converged into a single point.
With her vision somewhat blurry, Raven took a deep breath and stumbled to her feet, trying to focus her gaze until she finally obtained a clear view that made her eyes widen with both awe and relief.
There, floating casually above the ruins of what had once been the capsule, was a completely naked John, his well-formed body surrounded by an ethereal, fire-like aura that flickered in different colors but was predominantly a deep green.
"Well, I guess it worked."
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Note:
This chapter is a bit long! Thanks for your patience, guys!
Originally, I thought about adding more drama to the whole situation, but let's be honest, no one really expected John to fail, right? That would be a pretty bad way to end a series, let me tell you.
And while it would've been tempting, I'm not that cruel or sinister, haha.
On the other hand, I usually try to make the scientific talk as digestible as possible, but this time I wanted it to be much simpler—if you can call it that. In summary, I tried to make it less heavy, and I'm not sure if I succeeded or if I just made it more confusing. I guess it's up to you, the readers, to let me know what you think of the result.
So, you know what to do—leave your comments and tell me what you think ;D
With that said I can only hope that things continue on the right track, December 25th is almost here so I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas in advance, I hope you all have a great time whether alone, with your families or friends, no matter what situation you find yourself in I wish you happy holidays :D
If you want to support me you can do it through my Patreon ( patreon.com/EmmaCruzader )
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